Red Star newspaper for 1943 Order of the Red Star

(From the special correspondent of "Krasnaya Zvezda")

Our line of defense in one sector of the front stretched for a long distance along the river, which separated the unit standing here from the enemy. It was here that there was less data on his forces and means. The pilots saw tanks in the depths of the German positions, observers found a concentration of artillery. But what parts they were, how many of them, what they were going to do - no one could establish.

Several times our soldiers tried to search for and capture the "language". They swam across the river, got out to the shore, but here strong fire stopped them. Sometimes the Germans opened fire even when the boat with our soldiers was in the middle of the river. The soldiers changed the direction of their search, but everything was repeated as before. Only once did they manage to pass unhindered into the depths of the coastal strip in an area covered with thickets of reeds and surrounded by a viscous swamp.

The soldiers walked along the swamp without meeting a single enemy soldier. Then they decided to go even deeper into the rear of the Germans through the swamp. Now they are already at the target, but at this time a machine gun began to fire, missiles flashed, and the search again ended in vain. It turned out that the Germans vigilantly guard their positions both from the front and from the flank.

Long-term observation of the enemy revealed that he was concentrating all his forces on the front line. In the nearest village, located only two or three kilometers from the coast, there were no Germans. Only once a day, at 12 noon, one or several cars drove up here. As you can see, the Germans took food from the population. By about two o'clock in the afternoon, they returned back to their dugouts and trenches. In this village, it was decided to set up an ambush to capture a prisoner.

The task was, at first glance, not so difficult. Taking advantage of the unprotected swamp, it was as if a group of fighters had been sent to the village, and they would have done what was needed. But the Germans came here in a large armed detachment. In addition, their positions were partially held in close proximity to locality... Consequently, one could not expect that a daring capture of the "tongue" in broad daylight behind enemy lines would succeed without any support. The combat work of an ambush, like any other type of combat, requires a clear organization and thoughtful interaction.

The commander of the detachment, Senior Lieutenant Solod, decided to divide his people into three groups - one exciting and two supporting. Air reconnaissance data showed that the enemy had tanks in the hollow behind the village, and Comrade. Malt decided to reinforce one supply group with three anti-tank rifles. He put observers on the most elevated place of our coast, who were supposed to inform him about everything that was happening on the side of the enemy and which he himself would not have been able to see. Communication with the observers was carried out by radio. In the same way, there was an agreement between the scouts and artillerymen, who, if necessary, had to cover the detachment with fire.

Where it was necessary to cross, the detachment was clear. It remained to choose a convenient time for the crossing and penetration into the village. The senior lieutenant decided it was best to do this at dawn. At night the Germans are expecting our reconnaissance. Of course, they will also keep an eye on the swamp, where a search has already been attempted. And at dawn, judging by the reports of our observers, the enemy's vigilance weakens. This means that this is the most successful time for the operation.

The sun was just rising when three boats moored to the thickets of reeds. Three fighters immediately went to the village. Soon a report came from them that the Germans were not there. After that, the whole detachment was involved in the village. Its order of battle was built as follows. In a grove on the outskirts of the village, by the road along which German cars usually passed, an exciting group, led by Lieutenant Dyachenko, sat down. Anti-tank rifles were positioned along the other road leading to the ravine where the German tanks were stationed. The second support group, reinforced with machine guns, covered the retreat of the exciting and controlled the path to the swamp so that the Germans could not cut off our soldiers. Senior Lieutenant Solod had with him two radio operators, one submachine gunner, and also messengers from all groups. Now everything was ready to meet the enemy. All that remained was to wait for him.

As time went. It was clear: the Germans did not notice how our soldiers crossed the river, and did not even control the swamp with separate patrols. The detachment could calmly carry out its task.

At about 12 o'clock a covered German truck appeared near the village. When he entered the grove, the attacking group, at the command of Lieutenant Dyachenko, suddenly opened fire. At the same time, grenades flew into the car. The enemy was taken by surprise. Most of the Germans were killed by the fighters, one non-commissioned officer, who jumped out of the car, was grabbed by the Red Army soldier Shevchenko, two of them managed to escape. It took a few more minutes to search the truck and the dead, to take away all the documents they had. Having finished their business, the exciting group began to retreat to the river.

As if there was complete luck. But the two Germans who escaped apparently reported our ambush to their tankers. On the road from the hollow, three German tanks moved towards the village. To enable the detachment to withdraw, the crews of the anti-tank rifles took the blow. They calmly let the tanks approach them and knocked out one of them. The other two tanks, on which the landing party was located, continued to march directly towards the armor-piercers. Now the exciting group was already at the river. The armored riflemen had no reason to delay, and Senior Lieutenant Solod ordered them to retreat through the grove to the swamp. The tanks went around the grove and almost at the same time with the armor-piercing went to the thickets of reeds. But here they were already powerless: the swamp did not allow them to move on.

A fight began with the German paratroopers, who tried to poke their heads into the reeds. Now the machine guns of the second support group came into action. Having decided, apparently, that nothing could be done in the swamp, the Germans withdrew. Only the tanks, standing at the edge of the thickets, fired indiscriminately, which had no effect, because the tankers could not see anything in front of them. Our soldiers approached the boats. Senior Lieutenant Solod, who reported on the radio all the details of the battle, conveyed the last instruction to the gunners - to cover from the flanks the crossing of the fighters to their shore.

Thanks to clear support and well-thought-out organization of actions, the ambush performed its task perfectly and did not lose a single person. Let us dwell briefly on some of the details that ensured the success of the detachment. The crews of anti-tank rifles were not too lazy to equip their positions in the same way as in a regular defensive battle. The second support group was partially located in the trees, which allowed it to suddenly open fire on the enemy from above and throw grenades at him. It goes without saying that all the fighters were well disguised and constantly monitored, which in many ways supplemented the testimony of the control prisoner.

On the same day, comparing the information received from the prisoner, with the data of air reconnaissance, neighbors and with entries in the observation logs, the head of the detachment was able to report to the unit commander what the forces and intentions of the enemy were. This alone has paid off the effort and time spent on organizing the ambush. // Captain... FUNCTIONAL ARMY.

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Daring raid on the enemy's dugout

WESTERN FRONT, May 24. (By telegraph from our. Corr.). A group of scouts of the N unit under the leadership of Lieutenant Zakharov performed a night put on an enemy dugout.

The approaches to the location of the Germans were firmly fortified: the swamp, as well as a wire fence stretched in three rows, served as reliable protection. Here, at a height that wedged into the neutral zone, the enemy equipped his firing point, and forty meters from it - a dugout.

At 23 o'clock, the scouts began to surreptitiously overcome the swamp. When they reached the middle of the way, the Germans opened machine-gun fire. But this did not stop the daredevils. They continued to move forward.

Approaching the wire fence at a distance of 30 meters, the scouts lay down. Sappers with two submachine gunners for cover moved forward and quickly cut through the wire. The capture group, led by junior lieutenant Shavshin, crawled into the passages and almost reached the enemy firing point. Suddenly the Germans fired a red rocket. The scouts pressed tightly to the ground and did not move until the rocket went out.

The Germans continued to fire indiscriminately from the machine gun. Taking advantage of this, junior lieutenant Shavshin, scout Mikhmel crawled even closer and rushed into the machine-gun nest, scout Dubarev jumped up behind them. Shavshin hit one German on the back of the head with a machine gun, Mikhmel dealt with the second, and the third was finished off by Dubarev. At this time, the scout Aldoshkin threw grenades into the communication passages and blocked the Germans' exit. The cover group threw grenades at the enemy dugout located 40 meters away.

The Germans were so stunned by the suddenness of the fire that they did not fire a single shot. Having captured the "tongue", the scouts safely returned to their unit.

75 years ago, on September 30, 1943, the first stage of the battle ended.

Research recent years convince that young Russians know less about the battle for the Dnieper than about the battles near Moscow, on the Volga, the Kursk Bulge, and about Operation Bagration to liberate Belarus ... a series of parallel front-line operations and in total lasted from August to December 1943.

After Battle of Kursk the strategic initiative on the Soviet-German front finally passed to the Soviet command. The Red Army outnumbered the enemy in personnel and artillery, and less significantly in tanks and aircraft. But victory was still far away. Holding a part of the left-bank Ukraine, the Nazis in advance began to create in their rear a strategic defensive line called the "Eastern Wall" ("Ostwall"). It originated at the mouth of the Narva River, which flows into the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, and along the line of Pskov, Vitebsk, Orsha, the Sozh River, went out to the middle course of the Dnieper - a powerful natural obstacle for the advancing troops. In the south, near Zaporozhye, the "Vostochny Val" deviated from the Dnieper to the east and ran along the bed of the Molochnaya River (in the upper reaches - Tokmak), which flows into the Sea of ​​Azov. Having created multi-lane fortifications on this long line, the Germans hoped to keep the troops of the Red Army behind the Dnieper and give the war a positional character.

The first footholds south of Kiev were captured by the advanced detachments of the 3rd Guards Tank Army

For the battle for the Dnieper, the liberation of the cities on its banks, the seizure of strategic bridgeheads across the river, the Soviet Supreme Command attracted troops of five fronts: Central (commanded by Army General K.K. Rokossovsky), Voronezh (commanded by Army General N.F. Vatutin), Stepnoy (commanded by General of the Army I.S.Konev), South-West (commanded by General of the Army R.Ya. Malinovsky) and Yuzhny (commanded by F.I.
By order of the Supreme Command Headquarters, the troops of the Central and Voronezh fronts concentrated their main efforts on the Kiev, Stepnoye - on the Poltava-Kremenchug, South-West - on the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporozhye directions. The troops of the Southern Front were to break through the enemy's defenses on the Molochnaya River, to reach the lower reaches of the Dnieper and Crimea.
Realizing the complexity of the battle for the Dnieper, the importance of capturing bridgeheads in the Ukrainian Right Bank, the Supreme Command Headquarters on September 9, 1943 sent a directive to the troops that those who distinguished themselves when crossing the Dnieper would be presented with the highest government awards. The directive was communicated to every commander and soldier.
Of great importance for the actions of the Red Army in the southwestern direction, the breakthrough to the Dnieper as a whole was a separate operation, which was not included in the battle for the Dnieper, carried out by the troops of the Western (commanded by Colonel-General V.D.Sokolovsky) and the left wing of Kalininsky (commanded by General- Colonel A.I. Eremenko) of the fronts from August 7 to October 2, 1943. As a result of the Smolensk-Roslavl operation, the first Big City on the Dnieper - Smolensk.
In 1941, after the capture of Smolensk by the Germans, Goebbels wrote: “Smolensk is a broken door. The German army opened its way into the interior of Russia. The outcome of the war is predetermined. " Now, in September 1943, the correspondent of Krasnaya Zvezda, Vasily Ilyenkov, titled a report from liberated Smolensk with the words "Gateway to the West!" Although Mogilev, located downstream of the Dnieper, b

The Order of the Red Star is the 22nd oldest military award in the USSR, one of the first approved. In general, the five-pointed red star was the basis for an even more prestigious Red Banner award, but the requirements for its presentation were higher. The order was officially introduced on 04/06/1930, and the status was established on 05/05/1930 by the Decree of the Presidium of the USSR Central Executive Committee, although the development of the introduction of this award took place since 1925. Its statute was changed throughout the entire period of awarding, the first amendment was made in 1936, then in the military and post-war years. Last time the revision was made in 1980.

The first recipient was V. Blucher one month later. After some time, the award was given to military newspapers and magazines, the publishing house "Krasnaya Zvezda" topped the list of awardees. Also, other types of collectives were noted with them: schools, divisions, etc.

During the Second World War, this award gained particular popularity, it was awarded to approximately three million people, including foreign citizens. The order was presented not only for outstanding military exploits, but also for the achievement of the labor plan in the rear.

V post-war time the order was awarded for performing feats in peacetime. During these times, more than 800 thousand people received the award, including the military, vigilantes, militiamen and soldiers of Afghanistan.

It is worth noting that this order could be awarded more than once, in history there are cases when it was awarded to one person 6 times, such people - 5.

The last person who received this order was L.V. Razumovich, in 1991. For the entire existence of this award, it was presented to 3876742 people.

Appearance

The design of the order was developed by the artist V. K. Kupriyanov and the sculptor V. V. Golenetskiy.

The order itself is very similar to the first emblems of the Red Army, it is also based on a five-pointed red star. All in all appearance This award is as follows: a five-pointed star, with a convex outer part, in the center of which is a shield. In the center of this shield is a Red Army soldier in a long overcoat and hat, with a rifle in his hands. The inner rim is wide, it contains the inscription: "PROLETARIES OF ALL COUNTRIES, UNITED", and below the abbreviation of the country: USSR. Between the lower rays of the star is an image of a hammer and sickle. On the obverse of the order there is a device for fastening: a threaded pin and a nut for screwing, the inscription: "GOSZNAK" and a number are also visible there.

The ribbon of the order is made in dark red, with a gray stripe in the middle. Made of moire.

Manufacturing materials

For the manufacture of this order, as a rule, the following materials are used: the base is completely cast from 925 sterling silver - the silver-containing alloy itself, on the outside - ruby-red enamel.

Varieties of the order

Changes in the appearance of the order are extremely insignificant, they occurred infrequently, there are six types of them in total:

• The first type was produced from the year of establishment - 1930 to 1936. In principle, the appearance of this type of order is no different from the above standard, the materials of manufacture are the same, the order was soldered from two parts. However, it is worth noting that on this sample the Red Army soldier on the shield looks forward, and behind, under the nut it says "GOSZNAK".
• The second type existed for 1 year, its feature is the absence of a stigma, instead of it, the year was indicated at the bottom. Also, the soldier indicated on the shield began to look to the right - this edit remained unchanged for all subsequent types.
• The third (1937 - 1941) type is practically no different from the second - only the inscription “MONDVOR” was embossed on top with a fastening.
• The difference between the next, according to the name of the fifth type, which was awarded throughout 1941, is that the shield with the Red Army soldier was attached to the silver base with three rivets, and not soldered.
• The sixth type of the order (1941 - 1954) is also distinguished by the inscription above the mount, which reads: "MONETNY YARD". The place of its manufacture was the Moscow Mint and the Platinapribor plant. It is also worth noting that the material for making the mount was cupronickel nickel silver. Experts distinguish its variety, in which the rays of the star are slightly rounded, and sometimes seem to be cut off.
• The seventh type of the order (1954 - 1991) is the most different: the image of a soldier on the shield is tilted forward, the right leg is slightly turned, and the rays of the star are more rounded.

Grounds for awarding

The broadest basis for the award was a similar wording: for great services in the defense of the USSR, ensuring state security in peaceful and military conditions. Awarded the Order of the Red Star to those serving in the Navy, internal troops, border guards of the USSR Army, both commanding and rank-and-file personnel. It was allowed to award employees of foreign countries.

In the post-war period, they were posthumously awarded to employees of the military fire service, law enforcement agencies, serving in the army, who died in the line of duty. In this case, it was received by the relatives of the victims. This order was awarded to soldiers who participated in the settlement of localized conflicts, the war in Afghanistan.
The statute of the order, as already indicated above, was undergoing amendments, the last one - in 1980.

According to the statute, the order was awarded to:

• For courage in hostilities and personal courage, loyal leadership in combat conditions and operational organization, which contributed to the success of the USSR troops;
• For causing significant damage to the enemy by military actions of military units;
• Per outstanding achievements in ensuring the safety and inviolability of the state cordons of the USSR and ensuring the security of the country;
• For the manifestation of courage and courage, performing military or official duty under conditions hazardous to life;
• For exemplary performance of special assignments and other achievements in peacetime;
• For outstanding achievements in the field of ensuring the highest indicator of the army's combat training, excellent indicators of training political and combat type, mastering new models military equipment and other achievements in ensuring the defense forces of the USSR;
• For outstanding achievements in the organization of development military science and technicians, training employees for military service THE USSR;
• For achievements in organizing the defense power of the USSR.

Also, in the period from 1944 to 1957, this order was awarded for fifteen years of service in the Red Army and the Navy, state security agencies, and internal affairs agencies.

General information

Wearing methods

The order was worn on the left side of the chest until the 1943 decree was issued, according to which it was placed on the right side. In the statute of the order, it is noted that, if there are other awards, it should be placed after the order Patriotic War 2 degrees.

Cost of the Order of the Red Star (price)

It should be noted right away that, according to the law of the Russian Federation, this order cannot be bought and sold, it is possible only in foreign stores and auctions. The cost absolutely depends on the production time, and, depending on the type, ranges from 250 UAH.

In Ukraine, the sale and purchase of orders and medals is not prohibited.